ESA letter options in Florida, compared (2026)
Your own therapist, a government record, or telehealth: what Florida law accepts, where the price is public, and who should choose someone other than us.
- 6 min read
- Educational only
- Not legal advice
Direct answer
In Florida, a housing provider may ask for reliable information about a disability and the need for the animal when either is not obvious. Florida law names several sources: a government disability determination or benefits, a housing voucher received because of a disability, or information from a licensed health care practitioner or telehealth provider with personal knowledge of the person's disability (Fla. Stat. 760.27(2)(b) and (2)(c)). Your own therapist, another telehealth service, or our evaluation can each be a fit. Our price is public: a new evaluation is $149 and a renewal is $99, with a full refund only if the clinician does not approve a letter. General information, not legal advice.
Who wrote this: Official ESA Letter wrote this page. We sell one of the options below (a $149 Florida housing ESA evaluation). Read it with that in mind. We have no paid or affiliate relationship with any provider listed.
Last checked: 2026-10-28.
The options at a glance
| Option | What Florida law says | Cost | Good fit when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your own therapist, doctor, or other treating clinician | Information from a health care practitioner (s. 456.001) with personal knowledge of the disability is listed as supporting information (760.27(2)(b)4, (2)(c)1) | Set by your clinician or insurance; ask them | You already have a clinician who knows you | Some clinicians do not write housing letters; an out-of-state clinician counts only after in-person care at least once (760.27(2)(b)4) |
| A government disability record | A disability determination, disability benefits, or a disability-based housing voucher can support the disability part (760.27(2)(b)1 to 3) | Usually none for a copy you already have | You already have one of these records | It covers the disability; a housing provider may still ask for information about the need for the particular animal (760.27(2)(c)) |
| Other telehealth ESA providers | A telehealth provider as defined in s. 456.47 is listed as a source (760.27(2)(b)4, (2)(c)1) | See the table below | You want a remote evaluation from another company | Check the clinician's license state, refund terms, and whether the service covers housing only |
| Official ESA Letter (us) | A Florida-licensed APRN evaluates by telehealth | $149 new, $99 renewal, $49 each extra animal, optional $49 Priority call (our pricing page) | You rent or live in an HOA in Florida and want a call in English or Spanish | Approval is never automatic; full refund only if the clinician does not approve; a landlord decision is not a refund reason |
Other telehealth providers: publicly stated prices
We list only prices we could read on each provider's own public page on the date shown. Prices and terms change. Check their site before you buy. We did not test these services.
| Provider | Publicly stated price we saw | Source URL | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| CertaPet | ESA letters "start at $149"; renewals "start at $99" | https://www.certapet.com/ (FAQ on home page) | 2026-10-28 |
| RealESALetter | ESA housing letter $149 | https://www.realesaletter.com/pricing | 2026-10-28 |
| Wellness Wag | ESA letter, up to 2 pets, $129 | https://www.wellnesswag.com/pricing | 2026-10-28 |
| ESA Doctors | ESA plan $159 | https://esadoctors.com/ (plan table) | 2026-10-28 |
We have no paid or affiliate relationship with any provider listed.
Questions to ask any provider, including us
- Is the clinician licensed in Florida? If not, has that clinician given you in-person care at least once? (760.27(2)(b)4)
- Will a clinician actually speak with you? Florida law treats information as reliable when the practitioner has personal knowledge of the disability (760.27(2)(b)4). Fla. Stat. 456.072(1)(pp) makes supporting an ESA need without personal knowledge a ground for discipline.
- What exactly is refunded, and when?
- Does the letter show the clinician's license number so a housing provider can check it on the Florida Department of Health license lookup?
- Is the service selling a card, patch, or online sign-up instead of an evaluation? Fla. Stat. 760.27(3)(c) says items like that obtained from the internet are not, by themselves, sufficient.
Who should choose someone other than us
- You already have a therapist or doctor who knows you and is willing to write a housing letter. That is often the simplest path.
- You need a letter for anything other than housing in Florida. We only do Florida housing ESA evaluations.
- You need a psychiatric service dog or other service animal document. 760.27 does not apply to service animals (760.27(5)), and we do not offer that.
- You want the evaluation call in a language other than English or Spanish, or the letter in a language other than English. Our calls are English or Spanish, and letters are English.
- You need an in-person visit. We work by telehealth only and have no walk-in office.
- You need a decision by a fixed date. We do not promise timing.
How we chose what to compare
- Included: every source type Fla. Stat. 760.27(2)(b) and (2)(c) names, plus a sample of well-known national telehealth ESA services that publish a price online. This is not a complete list of providers, and no provider paid to be listed.
- Prices: copied from each provider's own public page on 2026-10-28, with the URL. Where we could not see a price, we say "see their site".
- Our own facts: from our pricing page and refund policy on 2026-10-28.
- We will re-check this page at least every 90 days and update the "Last checked" date.
Sources
- Fla. Stat. 760.27 (2026) (fetched 2026-10-28)
- Fla. Stat. 456.072(1)(pp) (fetched 2026-10-28)
- Our prices (fetched 2026-10-28)
- Our refund rule (fetched 2026-10-28)
- Provider prices: URLs in the table above (fetched 2026-10-28)
General information, not legal advice. Approval is never automatic, and no one can promise what a housing provider will decide.
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Looking for a clinical evaluation in Florida?
A new evaluation is $149 and a renewal is $99. Full refund only if the clinician does not approve a letter.